Material lifting and transferring apparatus



July 7, 1953 'H. E. MILLER 2,644,593

MATERIAL LIFTING AND TRANSFERRING APPARATUS IPIC-:1.2. By

ATTORNEY July 7, 1953 H. E. MILLER 2,644,593

MATERIAL LIFTING AND TRANSFERRING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 2l, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z/ FIG. 3.

4 W 37 4245; W 4v if I A F1 4.-. 35j 4 g 33 INVENTO HEMZ Z/ez' 31,1 /j BY /Zd j E ATTORNEY lPatented July 7, 1953 MATERIAL LIFTIN G AND TRAN SFERRIN G APPARATUS Henry E. Miller, columbus, ohio Application September 21, 1951, Serial No. 247,643

3 Claims.

- This invention relates generally to material handling, lifting and transferring apparatus, having particular reference to apparatus adapted for the handling of stacked materials, such as building brick or block, whereby to enable such materials to be moved from place to place in an economical, rapid and convenient manner.

An object of the invention is to provide apparatus capable of handling building brick, block or other products in unit groups, piles or stacks, so that a comparatively large number of such products, while maintained in orderly formation, may be transferred from onev location to another and without disturbing their relative order.

Another object of the invention is to provide a product carrier which is suspended from and operates in conjunction with an overhead crane mechanism, the latter being so constructed as to provide means for raising and lowering the carrier and products supported thereon and selectively and bodily moving the same along,r prescribed longitudinal and transverse paths of travel.

A further object of the invention is to provide portable product-lifting and transferring apparatus employing a carrier having a horizontal bottom member and an upright back member, and wherein said back member carries at each side thereof upper and lower sets of spaced guides which embrace a rigid guide frame gar'- ried by and depending vertically from a longitudinally and transversely movable overhead crane mechanism, the latter including a power- Aactuated hoist having a cable connected with said carrier, whereby to effect movement of said carrier in conjunction with said crane mechanism as well as vertical movement of the car- Other objects of the invention will be more fully realized from a perusal of the following detailed description setting forth a single preferred embodiment of my improved product-handling apparatus, the latter being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

2 Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the product-handling apparatus forming the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view thereof; Fig. '3 is a front elevational view; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view disclosing the rollers carried by the back member of the fork-type carrier of the apparatus, and illusy trating the position of such rollers with respect to a depending crane-carried guide frame;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the plane indicated by the line 5 5 of Fig. 4.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral I designates a stationary frame composed preferably of structural steel members disposed to provide a pair of elevated, substantially horizontally extending girders I0. In this instance, there is mounted on the girders a pair of track rails II, the latter being arranged in a horizontal plane and extend longitudinally of the supporting frame. The supporting frame has been shown as carried by ground or floor structure, although it will be apparent that, if desired, the girders may be suspended from any suitable type of overhead means, not shown, such `as the roof structure of a building. y

Arranged for rolling movement on the rails II longitudinally of the frame is the primary or lower carriage I2 of a crane mechanism. In vthis instance," the carriage supports for rotation a pair of parallel transversely extending axles I3, the latter carrying wheels I4 which -ride on the heads of the rails Il. Movement may be imparted to the Awheels from an electric motor I5, or its equivalent, which has been shown asv being mounted on one side of the carriage I2. Preferably, the drive shaft of the motor I5 opcrates a belt wheel around which passes an endless belt I6, leading to another belt wheel which is carried by one of the axles I3, causing rotation of that axle either in a forward or rearward direction to propel the primary carriage along the frame structure, as desired. Power maybe imparted to both of the carriage axles I3 by means of an endless chain or belt Il, which passes around sprockets or belt wheels iixedto aligned ends of said axles.

Joining the wheel-enveloping side frames, shown at I8, of the primary carriage are transversely extending rail-forming members I9. Mounted for rolling movement on these members is the upper or secondary carriage 20 of the crane. This carriage comprises a substantially rectangular frame 2| of smaller dimensions than thel frame of the lower carriage I2, as shown more particularly in Fig. 1. The frame 2l supports for rotation a pair of spaced parallel axles 22, and carried by the end regions of these axles are wheels 23 having flanged engagement with the rail members I9 of the lower carriage.

To propel the upper carriage on the rail members of the lower carriage in a 'back and forth manner transversely of said lower carriage, the frame 2| is provided with an electric motor 24, or its equivalent. The shaft of this motor, through a belt, indicated at 25, drives one o f the axles 22, power of the motor being applied simultaneously to said axles by an endless chain or belt, shown at 2B, passing around belt wheels or sprocketsV fixed in aligned relationship to the axles 22.

Also mounted on the upper carriage isa product carrier raising and loweringdevice,such as the power-driven hoist mechanism, indicated at H. This mechanism may be formed to -comprise an electric motor 27, which, through a speedreducing mechanism, indicated generally at 28, drives a drum 29 on which is spooled a cable 38. The latter includes a depending end which is preferably fastened as at 3l to a forwardly projecting arm 32 mounted in connection with the upper end of a product carrier 33.

Preferably, this carrier comprises an L-shaped structure embodying a bottom 'section 34 and a perpendicularly disposed and upstanding back section 35, the bottom and back sections being composed normally of a plurality of spaced parallel Amembers rigidly unitedV by transversely extending cross bars 36. The 'bottom 34 of the carrier `is formed so that it may readily be insertedf. beneath a pile of stacked products, such, for example, as passing between spaced courses of a pile of building brick, whereby to deposit the brick on the bottom of the carrier. Through the provision of the back section 35 a means is provided to sustain the brick or other products on the carrier, permitting of the bodily transportation of such brick or products through manipulation of the overhead crane mechanism. It will be -noted that the arm 32 overhangs the top and central portions of the carrier, so that the elevating forces of the hoist mechanism H will pass substantially through the pile of products positioned on the carrier.

Depending from the upper or secondary carriage 20 is a rigid guide frame which may consist of a pair of columns or posts constituting the frame shown at 31, the latter being used to support and guide the carrier 33 in its vertical movement.

To'this end, the carrier is provided at each side ofthe back section35 thereof,.wth a pair of xed U-shaped brackets, indicated at 3B and 38', which are disposed in vertically spaced relationship. The lower set of brackets 38' carry a pair of rollers 39 which embrace the vertical guide members of the frame 31, as shown more particularly Fig. 4. The upper set of brackets 38 are stirrups 4B, while the ends of the axles project through elongated slots 44 formed in the brackets 48.V

To move the stirrups back and forth, whereby to bodilytilt the carrier and to cause the same -said screw shafts.

to assume desired operating positions, as indicated by the full and broken lines disclosed in Fig. 4, each of the stirrups 40 has connected therewith one end of a screw shaft 45, which is turnable in a threaded opening provided in the closed legrof each stirrup.` Also carried by the screw shafts 45 is a sprocket wheel 46, around which passes an endless chain 41, so that the sprocket` 46 of both the brackets 38 will be rotated in unison with its companion sprocket. A hand crank 48 may be used for rotating one of Of course, other operating means may be provided;V If desired, the upper carriage may be formed at the rear thereof with a depending seat-carrying frame 49. tors seat may be secured to the lower end of this frame in acontrol zone. From this zone, the operator of the machine may regulate the movements .of the primary and secondary carriages on their supporting tracks through control of the operation of the driving motors, as well as the operation of the hoist mechanism in raising and lowering the product Carrier@ It will 'be understood'that my'improved apparatus is adapted for lifting, handling and conveying many different types of'products and installed either in indoor or outdoor locations. The apparatus may be used advantageously in warehouses, or in connection'with the loading and unloading of ceramicproducts entering vor leaving ring or drying kilns. The bottom'section of the carrier of the present invention may readily extend beneath a slab or vpallet supportiing on the top surface thereofa stack comprising, for example, spaced brick arranged in vertically superposed courses, whereby the brick may be handled in a unitary manner Without loss in the form or arrangement thereof. The arrangement enables a stack of brick to be bodily handled, as in placing the same on kiln cars, or in removing red'stacks of brick from the car platforms. The apparatus minimizes the time required in effecting such operations, and dispenses `with the use of conventional self-propelled lift trucks.

By adjusting the slidable stirrups 40, the carrier turns bodily about horizontal axes afforded by the lower rollers'39 of the brackets 38', adapting the carrier to different positions of product retention as disclosed in Fig'. 4. The spool rolls 4| prevent lateral movement of the carrier by reason ofY their engagement with the tu'bular guide frame members.

While the preferred form of the invention has been set forth in considerable detail, nevertheless it willbe understood that lthe construction is subject to certain variations ormodifications without departing from the vspirit and scope thereof as set forth in the following claims.

Iclaim:

l. ln product-lifting and conveying apparatus, a crane-carried vertically disposed guide frame, a product carrier having a horizontal bottom section and a vertical back section, said back section being disposed laterally of and at the front of said guide frame, upper and lower bracket devices projecting rigidly and rearwardly from the back sec-tion of said carrier, antifriction Ymeans rotatably carried by said devices in engagement with said guide frame, and means for shifting the operating positions of the antifriction means provided in the upper of said devices relative to the position of the antifriction means in the lower of said devices, whereby to vary the angularity of the carrier with respect to said guide frame.

2. In product-lifting and conveying apparatus,

An operaa crane-carried guide frame, said frame -including a pair of transversely spaced vertically extending and parallel posts, a product carrier having a horizontal bottom section and a vertical back section, said back section being disposed laterally of and at the front oi said guide frame, upper and lower bracket devices projecting rigidly and rearwardly from the back section of said carrier at each side thereof and slidably embracing said frame posts, spool-shaped rolls carried by the lower set of said devices in engagement with said posts, a yoke slidably mounted in each of the upper of said bracket devices, a pair of spool-shaped rolls carried by each of said yokes and disposed in engagement with said posts, and means for adjusting said yokes longitudinally relative to said upper devices to control the angularity of said carrier with respect to the vertical plane of said posts.

3. Product-lifting and conveying apparatus as specied in claim 2 and further characterized by the provision of a crane-carried power-actuated hoist mechanism connected with said carrier for raising and lowering the same with respect to said guide frame.

HENRY E. MILLER.

References Cited in the le of this patent` 

